Happy New Year
by CandleMagik
Summary: Some New Years Eve fluff I wrote for myself last year. Can Henry save a doomed New Years Eve celebration for his current mortal lover?


A little fantasy that popped into my head last New Year when I was very bored...and then wrote itself when I got home all in one night!! Thought I would share the little bit of fluff!!

**Happy New Year**

"Can I get you another drink?" Shane, my best friends boyfriend, slurred.

I turned from the window, where I had been watching the snow falling softly to the ground, leaving a white blanket to muffle the sounds of the night. "No, I'm fine. Thank you," I smiled sweetly, nursing the same drink I'd had for the past hour.

"Ohhkay then," he patted me on the back and stumbled away to find Nina again.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the snow - much more entertaining than what was going on inside this building - a local pub. New Years eve - totally overrated in my opinion. The one night of the year when expectations were high, and in my experience, disappointments even higher. People were all expected to have an amazing time and drink more in one night than most usually would in a month. All under the pretence of enjoying themselves and having a good night - when most would wake up the following morning suffering a hangover from hell and forget what they did anyway.

"I'm going to dance again," Karen announced, breaking me from my silent reverie whilst I gazed outside. "You coming," she elbowed me and downed the rest of her drink as she stood.

"Nope, I'm happy here, thanks," I faked yet another smile as she too staggered away, leaving me to my private thoughts.

Asking me to dance, to this? I mused to myself. Where on earth did they dig up this DJ from anyway? The 1960's? I groaned as yet another bad choice hit the decks - and the choices so far that night had been particularly terrible, to put it politely.

Sighing, I leant my elbow on the table, held my head in my hand and watched all the nutters making even more fools of themselves than usual on the dance floor, whilst praying that no one requested they start karaoke. And then I returned to my scrutiny of the snow outside.

"What's up with you?" Nina returned and sat down beside me - almost falling off her chair in the process and burst into a fit of the giggles. I groaned - this night was getting worse. "You having fun?" she asked, once the giggles subsided enough for speech and she searched through all the glasses on the table for more drink, looking disappointed when she found them all empty.

"Oh, yeah, great fun," I sighed.

"Good," Nina grinned, having totally missed my tone of sarcasm. "See, much better than you sitting home alone, like you were doing, right?"

"Mmm," I mumbled, impassively.

Actually, no it's not! I really wanted to scream. I had been much happier back at my apartment before they'd all descended upon me, insisted I came out with them and ignored all my protests. And I would have remained much happier alone, with a good movie, junk food and a decent bottle of wine - along with the hope of the possibility of a visit from my mysterious lover, whom none of my friends believed existed.

"Will be new year in about half an hour," Karen returned, fanning herself with her hand, exhausted from her mad dancing session.

"Oh great," I muttered, not even pretending I was having fun anymore - I was bored!

"Oh cheer up," Karen grumbled at me, swiping my drink and downing it. "Eurgh! There's no alcohol in there!" she grimaced.

"Mmm, well we don't all need to get off our heads to say we're having fun," I muttered under my breath, rummaging in my bag for my mobile phone. Desperately I searched for a message from _him_, and then remembered why there wouldn't have been any - the last time I'd seen him, a couple of nights ago, tempers had flared and we'd fought, so he'd left in a huff with me.

"You mean all the fun you were having sat home alone waiting for Mr Make-Believe to pop into your head?" she scoffed, making fun of me once more.

"Now that's what I said!" Nina agreed.

For a second I contemplated calling the 'make believe' guy as they referred to him, apologising for things that had been said and then begging him to come save me from this nightmare, and then changed my mind - he had been wrong, not me!

"Yeah, well…" I dropped my phone back into my bag again and stood up, "whilst you two discuss my apparent failures, I shall go visit the bathroom and get myself another drink," I swung my bag onto my shoulder and left them dissecting me and my life, where I was going wrong and what I should be doing - as per usual.

****

Stood at the bar, being ignored as was the norm, my polite requests being drowned out by drunken louts yelling their orders, I tapped my foot impatiently and heaved a deep sigh. I seriously considered leaving and heading home - the way they were all drinking and behaving it would probably be hours before they missed me anyway.

The more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me, so with one last sigh, I gave up and began to back out of the throng of people surrounding me. I turned to leave, and as I did, I thought I heard a faint sigh in the air which caused me to pause a moment. Then deciding it was nothing, I continued trying to escape the hordes, until my back hit something solid.

Thinking I had perhaps stepped on someone, I stopped, but before I could turn to offer an apology or share some choice words should they start with me, a soft, caressing breath touched the back of my neck, causing the small hairs to stand on end. A touch of lips to my ear and the light caress of cool, smooth fingertips brushing my hair back and then a gentle hand against the skin of my throat stayed any movement I might have made or words I might have said.

Strangely I wasn't in the least bit afraid or annoyed that perhaps some drunken oaf was trying something on with me. The hand on my skin, the unique scent now surrounding me was familiar and, if anything, I felt relieved and very slightly aroused.

A low seductive voice sighed against my ear, so close to cause goose pimples to course down my spine. "New year's eve is the time for new beginnings," the voice murmured as I stood frozen against him. "I though I might begin with you" he added.

The lips belonging to the captivating voice kissed my head, just above my ear, before spinning me in the circle of his arms to face him.

"Henry," I grinned - my first genuine smile of the whole night. "You found me," I was most delighted to see him here as I hugged him, grasping the leather of his brown jacket.

"Only ten minutes until a brand new year begins!" the DJ announced, before another track from the reject pile began.

"You have to save me!" I almost begged him.

"Come with me," he held out his hand towards me. Although his words had not been a command, the majestic quality from his Royal upbringing was evident in his voice.

I gladly grasped his hand and happily allowed him to lead me to wherever he wished for us to go.

He pulled me effortlessly down a dark, abandoned corridor, empty but for the pair of us. And there he pushed me against the wall, gazing at me as I practically fell into his bottomless eyes. The backs of his fingers stroked my cheek as his gaze moved down towards my neck, focusing on my veins and a finger traced the pulse beating beneath the skin as my heart pounded in anticipation. Clasping both my hands in his, holding them above my head against the wall, he leaned his body into mine and captured my lips with his own, diving straight in for a deep, fervent kiss.

"Mmm," I gasped as we parted, "is that an apolo…"

"Shh," he whispered, his index finger placed over my lips, "don't speak, just feel. Now, close your eyes," he moved his hand over my eyes, as if to close them for me.

Whenever Henry made a suggestion, there was never any question in my mind not to comply, and my eyes closed as I breathed him in. Within seconds his lips were on mine again, kissing me deeply, his tongue running along my teeth and then exploring the depths of my mouth, brushing against my own tongue, over and over as his mouth moved upon mine.

As I moaned into him, he sensed when I needed to breath and momentarily broke the kiss, kissing the corner of my mouth softly, licking along my lips - every feeling, every touch heightened by the fact my eyes were closed to him. He let go of my hands and grasped my hips, pulling me against his hard body as my own hands came down to tangle within his soft brown curls, holding his face close to mine.

And then, a hand trailed down my side, towards my knee, never once breaking the kiss as my skirt was bunched up in his hand. Fingertips crept over my thigh, almost as though he were making them walk along my skin and then he touched me through my underwear and I groaned.

Grinning against my mouth, those cool fingers crept under the lace of my panties, through the soft thatch of hair at the junction of my legs and cupped me as I submissively parted my thighs for him.

"Ohh…" I breathed against him, my eyes shooting open, completely taken by surprise. "Henry…" I sighed, feeling the heat already pooling where his hand touched me.

"Shh," he whispered again against my ear, "and close your eyes, I'm going to make you feel _so_ good," he promised, an air of self-assurance around him.

I did as he said and ground my body against him, urging him on, never once doubting his promise. Nimble fingers parted my wet folds and easily plunged within me, touching, rubbing softly, in and out, up and down, round and round - skilled fingers that seemed to be everywhere all at once.

As he lifted my leg with his other hand and hooked it around his hip, opening myself up to his touch even further, I groaned loudly and grasped his shoulders to steady myself. He kissed me again in some attempt to silence me and I realised his fangs had already descended when I found their sharp points with my tongue. The result of which aroused me further and I moaned intensely as another finger entered me and his thumb found the hard nub, manipulating it masterly. My body was rushing towards release under his touch as my body writhed against him, feeling his own arousal hard against me.

Sensing my moment was imminent, his hand ran down my neck tenderly as he tilted my head to the side, brushed my hair away from my neck and licked the skin above my pulse a moment, before his sharp fangs pierced my skin and he bit into me. Blood burst forth and flowed down his throat as he drank from me and every nerve ending within my body was suddenly thrown into spasm as I shuddered and came intensely and loudly around his fingers. Clinging to him desperately, feeling as though I could drown any moment under the sensations as climax upon climax crashed like constant waves upon the shore.

Vaguely, in some far off recess of my mind, people could be heard around us celebrating the dawning of the new year. A countdown had begun to midnight, party poppers exploded and people laughed merrily. A moment later, off key, rowdy singing of the traditional 'Auld Lang Syne' burst forth. And yet, Henry and I were oblivious to it all - cocooned in our own erotic little world as we were, whilst he fed from me and achieved his promise of making me feel so good.

Having taken his fill and before he did me any lasting harm, Henry retracted his fangs. Using his tongue, he laved gently against his bite marks, healing the wound and then affectionately kissed the spot, before raising his head to meet mine. Amidst the sound of revellers ringing in the New Year and merrily wishing complete strangers a happy new year, Henry licked his lips, slightly tinted with my blood, before kissing me with enraged passion and extracting his hand from my panties, smoothing my skirt back down.

My heart was still pounding and my breathing heavy as I continued to cling to him, my legs weak from the immense carnal moment just experienced and slightly light headed from the blood loss. I rested my head against Henry's shoulder, my arms around his neck as he held me and stroked my hair silently.

"Let's get out of here," he murmured against my ear, sensing my heartbeat and breathing settle into a more normal pattern after a few moments, "go back to my place," he suggested. I looked up at him and nodded, taking his outstretched hand - I would have gladly followed him anywhere.

Heading for the exit, I paused to grab my coat from the rack, tutting loudly upon the discovery of two lovers locked in a very public and sloppy embrace against my coat.

"Excuse me," I grumbled, reaching past them and trying to drag the garment from behind them.

The couple parted and my friend, Nina looked up, slightly abashed, until she realised it was only me. "Claire!" She gasped, "where the hell have you been? We've all been look…wow, who's the hottie?" she suddenly spied Henry then, patiently stood beside me and holding my hand as she looked him up and down.

I laughed as Henry flashed his somewhat smug little grin - he knew he was incredibly attractive and charismatic, he didn't need reminding. Shane, her long term boyfriend, looked rather perturbed that he was suddenly being ignored whilst she eyed up the man with me.

"Nina, this is Henry, my 'make believe' guy," I rolled my eyes and laughed, whilst Henry frowned at me in puzzlement.

"_This_ is Henry?" she repeated, wide eyed.

"Uh huh, see…he exists…and now," I reached behind her and finally managed to grab my coat, "if you'll excuse us, we're heading back to his place," Henry, behaving every bit like the gentleman he was brought up to be, took the coat from me and helped me on with it. "Goodnight," I smiled, leaving her stood there with her mouth hanging open, looking completely stupefied.

Laughing together, Henry threw his arm around me as our shoes crunched through the freshly fallen snow towards his car. A little later than planned, but finally I would be able to celebrate the New Year the way I had intended all along - with my mysterious vampire lover.

The End ?

Claire Stead

January 3rd 2008


End file.
